


The Prince Returns

by SoyChaiiLatte



Category: Final Fantasy XV, Neko no Ongaeshi | The Cat Returns
Genre: Cat/Human Hybrids, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ravus needs a hug, side Ignis/Gladiolus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-07 22:40:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11068584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoyChaiiLatte/pseuds/SoyChaiiLatte
Summary: “I, Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum am in your debt. I’m sure someone will be by to offer a more formal gratitude soon. But now I’ve rested I must return home, before another war begins.”“Uhh.” said Prompto.This starts off as a literal TheCatReturns!au but starts to change as the story progresses. I started this after I'd finished with Ch. 9 and I needed something light and fluffy to soothe my soul. I've been sitting on this for months but I'm posting today as a gift.





	The Prince Returns

**Author's Note:**

> For Jenni - Thank you for putting up with my 3am headcannons, I hope this chapter has you feline the warmest of all feels. =^.^=

_I want to ride my chocobo all day~_

Prompto wakes up abruptly to the sound of his morning alarm clock, immediately reaching out a hand to silence it before curling back underneath his sheets. Usually he’s up way before the alarm starts to ring but he found it more difficult than usual to fall asleep last night and so it was becoming increasingly difficult to lug himself out of his comfy bed this morning.

The caws of old Ms Naga from next door calling in her fur babies for breakfast reminded him that if he rested for any longer he’d likely be late for school. So reluctantly, he pulled himself out of bed and and got ready for the day. 

Ms Naga was still outside feeding the neighbourhood strays when he eventually stepped outside. A lot of the other kids in the neighbourhood were scared to even walk passed her house but for as long as they had been neighbours, she had never said a bad word to Prompto even in her most contemptuous of moods. 

“Morning, Ms Naga!”

He checks the letter box and is not surprised to find it empty

“Good morning young one, a little late in the day for you, is it not?”

He nodded, “Yep, gotta go. See ya!” 

Prompto could never tell if she was bending over to feed the cats or if her back was constantly hobbled over; he always saw her in the same stance every day. He swiftly pulled his camera out of his bag and took a quick snap of Ms Naga surrounded by her treasured cats and rushed off towards school. 

The streets were already full of business men and women all in a rush on their way to work. He couldn’t see any other school kids around which meant either he was really late or it could still just be the weekend.

_Huh, wouldn’t be the first time._

A large black cat swiftly pawed its way through the middle of the pavement, paying no mind to the foot traffic around him or the angry couple who had to lean into the side of the wall to narrowly avoid stepping on the cat. Stranger still was the small blue box wrapped shut by a rich white ribbon enclosed in the cat’s mouth.  
He reached for his camera to snag a picture but by the time he'd gotten it out of his bag, the cat had already disappeared .

_I guess I’m not the only one running late today._

A bell tower chimed in the distance and Prompto resumed his run to school, if he was lucky he could make it in before they closed the school gates. If he was lucky and fast maybe he could get into class before the teacher started registration although that was starting to look unlikely.

By the time he got to school the gates were already locked shut .He was about to try and take a running leap at the nearby fence when he spotted a familiar face appear around the corner. Dave the security guard was making his rounds and could see Prompto rushing towards the school gate, he nodded in acknowledgement then jogged up to let him through.

“Late again kid? You’re parents really oughtta wake you up a helluva lot earlier!”

“Yeah, I’ll uh… tell em you said so.”

Once the gate had opened, Prompto waved in thanks and rushed inside.

When he got to his classroom he peeked through the door’s small window to scope out the situation. The lesson had obviously started sometime ago, with the teacher; Mr Kumu reading to the class from an old leather bound book. He noticed Cindy staring at the whiteboard with her head rested in her left hand, seemingly nodding along to the teacher’s every word. From the back of the class, he also noticed the earphone wire underneath her left hand leading to her cellphone in her left pocket, blocked from the Mr Kumu’s view. 

Most of the students were already facing the front of the room, now if Mr Kumu would just turn around…

As soon as Kumu’s back is turned Prompto slowly edges the door open without drawing anyone’s attention to himself. He waits until the teacher starts writing a passage on the whiteboard before slipping into a crouch and quietly sidling his way towards his seat. He is less than three steps away when-

“Prompto.” Mr Kumu’s stern, flat voice booms across the classroom without him having to raise his volume. 

He’s not even looking this way! How does he know it’s me?

“You’re already late. How about you promptly take your seat without wasting anymore of our time by pussy-footing around the room, hmm?”

“Yessir.”

The teacher carries on as if nothing happened but a few of his classmate are staring or chuckling under their breaths. Prompto smiles back and tries not to let the attention get to him. As soon as he reaches his desk he pulls out his books and nestles his head in his arms. He spends the rest of the lesson taking notes from the teacher without looking up at the board, or anything else for that matter.

He doesn’t notice the heavy-set tomcat watching him from outside the classroom window with his head tilted curiously to one side.

###### 

At the end of the school day, Prompto brings his homework to the teacher’s desk and makes a hasty exit out of the room. He does his best to avoid clashing into the hoards of students heading out for the day but a few groups of people still push past him without noticing though he doesn’t mind much.  
On the way home Prompto tries not to dwell too much on his day so far. He walks through the crowded street, taking the scenic route to avoid bumping into any one of the few people he knew from around his neighbourhood. He didn’t think he be able to make good conversation with anyone after today.  
Soon he reaches a quiet spot, a path that runs by the river. The road doesn’t really lead anywhere as it simply lines the outer walls of the city, so it’s unusually still, save for the odd jogger or two. It’s the best place for Prompto to take pictures of the sky without the tall buildings of the city getting in the way. There are clouds rolling in the far distance but it’s hard to tell from looking at the horizon whether or not they are coming this way.

He takes a few snaps with his camera, playing with the different filters he has available. The lighting was good a couple of hours ago but now the clouds were really starting to affect the quality of the pictures. He starts to put his camera and strap away when the first drop of rainfall lands in the middle of his forehead. 

The heavens truly open when he is only two blocks away from his house. The wind picks up around him, roaring through the neighbourhood, pushing tiny bullets of water against his skin. Prompto breaks into a run, not wanting to get his clothes soaked any further. He swerves around the corner and rapidly trips on something too soft to be the curb. 

Prompto stands quickly rubbing at his sore palms. He looks down at the ground and blinks the rainwater out out his eyes only to see a big black cat curled in on itself. Through the wind and heavy rain it looks as if the cat is simply sleeping but there is no way tell if the creature is breathing just by looking at it.

“Please don’t be dead, don’t be dead, don’t be dead.”

Prompto stretches a hand out to the cat as slowly as possible so not to startle the cat if it is actually just sleeping. If he moves slowly enough then it should sense that Prompto’s not there to hurt him, right? He doesn’t want to freak out the poor thing. His hand is less than a hairsbreadth away when the cat begins to unfurl itself, Prompto forces his own muscles to freeze as the animal struggles to find it’s feet.

The cat takes a few unsteady, wobbly steps away before flopping into a shallow puddle with a faint, defeated mew. Prompto doesn’t hesitate to gently pick up the cold creature and cradle it to his chest.

“C’mon buddy, this isn’t exactly a good place to sleep. Let’s get you somewhere safe.”

He rushes home to get the cat inside.

As soon as he gets in he switches the lights on and turns the thermostat as high as it can go. He takes the cat straight up to the bathroom and lays them on the tiled floor. Prompto uses a spare towel to begin gently but efficiently wiping the worst of the rainwater out of the thick black fur. Under the harsh yellow of the bathroom lights the cat’s fur seemed almost navy blue in places, it’s colour was unlike any of the other strays he’d seen gathered around Ms Naga’s place. _Must be an expensive breed._

“I bet someone’s out there’s really missing you huh, girl?” Prompto carefully put the unconscious cat on it’s back so he could get at the dirt and water that had collected on it’s stomach. “Huh, boy then. Sorry about that my dude.” 

With the worst of the water gone the cat seems to be doing better inside the warmth of the house. Two bright blue eyes regard Prompto curiously as he dabs at the long tufts of fur at the top if the cat’s head. “See. Told you. I’m not gonna hurt you buddy.” The cat did little in response other than blink slowly at Prompto, he must be really tired after whatever he went through.

Prompto reached for a warm damp washcloth but paused before picking up a paw. This is the point where he fully expects the cat to stop being so damn calm and finally turn on him. There is mud and sand stuck between the cat’s toes and Prompto knows that it’ll feel a lot better if all that gunk wasn’t there, though the cat might not agree until it was out. 

“Don’t needle me, okay?” He solemnly looked the cat in the eyes, taking in his relatively passive expression. “If you do I’m calling you Cactuar for the rest of your nine lives.” 

He cautiously picks up a paw and starts rubbing gently at first and then slightly more vigorously when that cat doesn’t struggle against him. He stops after the last paw, seeing the striking difference between the cat’s dark fur and the pale, pink pads of his feet. Now that the cat was all clean and dry Prompto simply couldn’t resist squeezing his toes a little, they looked just like strawberry jelly beans.

“Beans! That’s what I’ll call you!”

The cat’s eyes narrow into slits at the volume of Prompto’s voice, looking up at his face in pure disgust.

_Right, sick cat, probably starving. Now is not the right time._

Prompto releases the cat’s paws, scoops him up into his arms and carefully deposits him in the middle of the bed in his room before he goes downstairs to look for some things that’ll make the little guy more comfortable and a little less squinty. 

After spending a small amount of time hunting, Prompto returns to his room with his hands full, balancing a carton of milk, a plate, his camera and a steaming cup of spicy rib steak ramen noodles on top of his biggest sofa cushion. He even managed to tuck a can of Ritzy Bonito Bites under his chin so he could bring it all upstairs in one trip.

“Hey Beans! Hey Buddy. I got you some yummy cat food and I got me some yummy me food…” Prompto precariously placed the food on the small bedside table before dropping the sofa cushion on the floor. The cat regarded his offering with interest, sniffing at the air curiously. “I’ll get that food open for you in a sec. Just wondering where’s the best place to put you to sleep…” 

Prompto knew the cat couldn’t understand what he’s saying, at least not really, but he still finds it nice to have someone around. Even if this someone had four legs and a tail, and couldn’t talk back. It was nice to know that someone was there to listen.

He moves some two day old laundry from one corner of his room to the other and puts the cushion down a couple of feet across from his bed. 

“Here we go all nice and - _Hey!_ That was my last steak one.”

The cat looks up at the offending noise. Beans blinks once at him slowly, his freshly cleaned fur puffed up around his face from the heat of the room. He didn’t look the least bit concerned to be eating someone else’s dinner. He licks a drop of broth from his chin and stick’s his head back in the top of the cup, slurping eagerly.

_At least his ears are too big to get stuck._

With a deep sigh Prompto goes back to the kitchen to get another cup noodle for himself.

This time Prompto returns to his room only to see the cat fast asleep in the middle of the bed.  
Moving to sit by his desk with his own cheese curry flavour cup noodles he tucks in, eyeing the abandoned sofa cushion thoughtfully. 

“You could’ve at least saved me some room, ya big fluffbutt.” He spoke softly, not expecting a response.

Once he’d finished his noodles, Prompto put his cup in the trash, reached for the one the cat had eaten and realised it wasn’t quite empty. Although all the noodles and broth were gone there was still a myriad of tiny veggie cubes sitting at the bottom of the bowl. With another sigh that too, was thrown out. 

After getting washed up for bed Prompto reaches for his camera to flick through all the photo’s he had taken that day. From when he left Ms Naga with her cats this morning, to the landscape shots he took of the riverside a few hours ago, with the sky looking dreadfully darker in each picture. The snapshots weren’t anything special but it was nice way to mark the passing of time between school and more school. Small pockets of time that Prompto could look back on and say; I was there. I exist. He looked toward the cat curled up peacefully in the middle of his bed. Even now the rain outside was still pounding heavily on the world outside. He wondered what might have happened if he never noticed the big fluffball or if he had taken his usual route home. Poor little guy probably had some fancy rich lady worried sick about him. 

 

He takes a quiet photo of the snoozing cat before gently manoeuvring the cat towards the wall side of the bed. It takes him nearly a whole five minutes to do so without waking the cat but at least now he has room for himself to sleep and the cat can continue to rest.

“Beans, my dude.” Prompto whispers into the darkness. “You are gonna be one spoiled cat.” 

 

###### 

_He’s climbing up as fast as he can but he can’t seem to catch up to the people who seem to be his friends.The air gets thicker the more he climbs. He can’t seem to get enough air into his lungs. Surely it shouldn’t be this hot so high up in the mountains? The soles of his feet are sticking more to the side of the mountain with every step he takes leaving small puddles of tar in his wake. The ground begins to shake and crack underneath his feet - a wide, jagged fissure forms between him and the group of three men above him. Thick plumes of steam followed by a torrent of crimson lava burst from the fissure blocking his view from the group of three in the distance. There is no one to shield Prompto from the fire as the heat consumes all around him. It’s too hot... he can’t breathe… he’s **burning** ._

When Prompto wakes his muscles are sore and tensed in a way that told him that he had definitely been fighting himself in his sleep again. Prompto had nightmares all the time when he was younger but he hadn’t had one this bad for months now; he was starting to hope he had outgrown them.

He could tell it was early morning though his room was still dark, the faint gleam of light shining through his pale blue blinds warned him that the sun would be up soon enough. He searched for the universal remote under his pillow to turn the thermostat down and open the bedroom windows. As he ran a hand through his sweat damp hair and was surprised to find blue-black fur on his fingers. No wonder he was so hot, the cat had practically slept on his face. He gave the cat a stony look for his offence, at least the creature had the decency to look guilty for his actions.

“Are you... okay?”

Prompto sits up ramrod straight in his sheets and stares at his bedroom door, expecting someone to come bursting through.

_Holy shit! Is there someone out there?!_

Prompto grasps at his blankets pulling them around his shoulders, earning disgruntled yelp from the cat who was resting next to him though Prompto couldn’t care less at this moment not if there was a potential serial killer outside his bedroom door. 

“Beans!” He hissed quietly to the cat. “Go and see if someone’s broken into our house.”

Beans the Cat did nothing but stare at Prompto in concern, his head tilted to one side.

“C’mon bro… you don’t even need to go outside. Just use your kitty-cat senses.” He looked rapidly between the cat and the door, keeping his voice lowered. “I know you can understand me. Just blink once if it’s a demon snake ghost and twice for robot axe murderers.”

Another phantom noise had Prompto retreating further into his blanket fort, squeezing his eyes shut. Hoping this was one of those instances where if he ignored it, the problem would go away. Whatever-it-is outside might mistake him for dirty laundry if he stayed still enough. Or it might not.

“Beans... _please_.”

“Beans is an awful name for anything except beans.Which is why it is reserved for beans and only beans. Please, please stop calling me that.”

Prompto opens his eyes when he realises how close the voice is, he looks around his room from his closed door, to the bright blue eyes of the cat in front of him who is still watching him with a puzzled expression on his small face. 

“Seriously, are you okay?” The cat moved closer and sniffs at the air around Prompto’s face. “At least… You don’t smell like you might be sick.”

Maybe he was still dreaming. Prompto was never having cheese curry noodles before bed again as long as he lived.

“Are you talking? To me?” He couldn’t help but whisper although he knew there was no reason for it.

“Who else is here?” The cat grinned at Prompto, revealing a full row of white pointed teeth. 

The cat moves off of Prompto to give him some room to sit up, alongside some much needed room to breathe. Prompto’s eyebrows pulled together in a disbelieving frown, he was still doubting his sanity for the time being.

“Your name?” The cat asked now it seemed like Prompto could hold a conversation.

“P-Prompto.”

“Well, Prompto. You have my thanks.” He tucked his chin to his chest and bent at the knee in some semblance to a bow. It was a strange gesture to see on an animal, let alone a cat. To Prompto it didn’t seem like it was something he did often, though why a cat would ever need to bow in the first place was beyond him. “I, Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum am in your debt. I’m sure someone will be by to offer a more formal gratitude soon. But now I’ve rested I must return home, before another war begins.” 

“Uhh.” said Prompto.

The cat straightened up before lithely jumping off the bed and made a few burly steps towards window. He gracefully jumped up onto the sill, despite the many cactuar figurines settled there, only one toppled over as he turned to regard Prompto.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to...” He looked sheepishly from the fallen figurine to the blonde who was still nestled in his bed on the other side of the room watching Noctis warily. “I’m sorry for being so formal, also. My, uh… Ignis. He usually deals with that stuff… But he would kill me if I didn’t do things properly after last night.” 

“That’s... okay.” Prompto didn’t mean for it to sound like a question, but it came out like that anyway. 

Noctis nodded decisively and turned to jump out the window but Prompto called him back.

“Wait!” The cat pauses on the window sill. “Are you… ok?”

“I’ll be fine. Thanks to you.” Another smile. Prompto was going to need some warning if that was to become a normal occurrence.

After that exchange the cat, Noctis, doesn’t hesitate to jump to window. Prompto starts towards him just a tad too late, remembering he had a perfectly functional front door just downstairs. Prompto sighed in relief when he went to look out at the street below the window and wasn’t rewarded with the sight a fluffy black corpse. In fact, the cat was nowhere to be seen at all.

Now that his heartbeat had returned to normal, Prompto lay back on his bed staring at the flecks of dust floating around his lampshade on the ceiling, their movements easily visible now that the sunlight was beginning to stream readily through his window. Nothing felt real. Maybe all that had passed was just a weird dream.

_There’s no way that cats can talk. Right… right?_

Prompto has just about settled down enough to consider going back to sleep when his  
alarm starts to chirp shrilly at him. Bone-tired, the blonde releases a defeated groan and pushes himself away from the comfort of him bed.

**Author's Note:**

> Random Fact: Prom's Cheese Curry ramen is a flavour that exists and is quite popular in Hong Kong.  
> Thanks for reading my 1st story, I hope you enjoyed~


End file.
